Pokemon Drabbles and Musings
by Kiki Yushima
Summary: RP-inspired drabbles and musings. Most are just short, stand alones that take place in different universes. The only ones that take place in the same universe are the Ranger ones.
1. Guilt

Summer's thoughts during one of her breakdowns.

* * *

Why? Why did she have to be the one that survived? The twins should've been the ones to live. Or her mother at the least. Lark had been a veteran Ranger and one of the most revered. Had she lived, she definitely would've become a Top Ranger after the rank had been invented. The twins… They'd been so smart for their age, especially Lina. They could've been doctors, nurses, inventors… Anything they'd wanted to be.

But Summer? What good was she? She broke down every time a thunderstorm rolled in. She stopped dead when facing fire. Sure, she'd saved Oblivia, the world even, but what good was she when she could still barely look Sherry, her Entei partner, in the eye. She still cried over everything all the time.

She was nothing more than a crybaby that pretended to be strong. How anybody looked up to her was beyond her. She was weak, so very, very weak…


	2. Family Matters

Solana sighed a bit as she sat next to the river that wound its way through the Lyra Forest, shaking her head. She was still suffering a bit from the events of Asada, but her mind had turned away from them and to her family. She had seen an article online over a year ago detailing the fact her parents had had another little girl. She had a little sister. She was still a toddler, so hopefully she would be safe for another year or two. But her father had started to beat her when she was just three years old, so she wasn't sure she would be safe. Part of her wanted to go back home and expose her father's abusive ways, but who knew what would happen? Fear gnawed at her as she stared at her reflection in the water, then turned away as she saw the scars on her arms from when she had still been in Sinnoh. She pulled her knees to her chest and dropped her head onto the top of them, closing her eyes as the tears started to flow down her cheeks. She needed to face her father and bring him to justice, but he still held power over her nearly five years after she'd run away. Why couldn't she be stronger...?


	3. Nothing Remains

So this was something I wrote a while back based off an ask box prompt. The prompt was "put _ has died in my inbox and my character will react" or something along those lines. Someone put "Cynthia, your Garchomp died" in and this was the result.

* * *

Cynthia stared down at the grave as the rain poured down, her long hair and black coat soaked through, but she paid it no heed. She could hardly believe what had happened. During a battle against a particularly challenging opponent, she had gotten down to just Gabby. It had been Garchomp versus Metagross, both of them down to their last Pokemon. The battle had been fierce, the best they'd had in a long time. But an unfortunate turn had been taking during a particularly nasty Metal Claw that had punctured Gabby's neck. The battle had been stopped immediately and Cynthia had rushed to her companion's side and tried to stop the bleeding with a Full Restore, but it hadn't worked; within several minutes, the Pokemon had died right there in her arms. She had resigned her title the next morning, unable to carry on without her faithful Garchomp by her side. She didn't know what to do now; the title had been her life for the past ten years and she'd had Gabby at her side for nearly twenty. The Garchomp had given her power and confidence which she had lacked before, but now… Now she was alone and without meaning. Her energy was gone, drained from every inch of her being. Nothing remained except the driving rain and tears running down her cheeks.


	4. New Year's Rituals

Wrote this early last year. Winona dealing with the anniversary of when she was raped.

Zeus = Dragonite. Italics indicate Pokemon language

* * *

Winona sighed as she laid curled up on her bed, her head pulled under the covers. Yet another New Year's night passed with the same rituals as the five before, but who cared? She'd just spend the rest of the day in bed per usual, reliving the horror of that one night.

She sighed and pulled her pillow close to her chest, tears streaming down her face as she squeezed her eyes tight. How had she been so stupid all those years ago? She had been so weak and vulnerable somehow… Why had it happened? Why her?

There was a knock on her door and she opened her eyes but said nothing, not even moving. "_Winona, it's me,_" came Zeus' voice. She just closed her eyes again, not wanting to deal with anyone. "_Come on, Noa. Let me in_."

"No," she said, her voice cracked because of her crying. She rubbed her neck, her throat feeling like sandpaper from having been crying so much.

"_I've got some water. And Skye's frantic; at least let **her** in!_" Zeus sounded desperate but she just sighed again, now feeling worse. She'd locked even her beloved Skarmory out of her room, the first time she'd ever done something like that. She just wanted to be alone for the day. Why couldn't they understand that?

But her aching throat got the better of her and she opened the door a crack, it held in place by a chain lock. "Just gimme the water…" she mumbled. Zeus sighed and handed her the glass with a bit of difficulty, then she shut the door.

She took a few sips of the water, then sat it on her nightstand, curling back up under the covers. All she needed was a day, then she'd be fine again. The memories would be sealed away again and she wouldn't have to deal with them again until the next New Year's Eve.


	5. Time is Money

Summer sighed as she sat on Lapras Beach, the pale light of the full moon shining down on her. She laid back on the soft sand, looking up at the piece of paper in her hands. Her already erratic sleep schedule had been thrown into further disarray by watching over Blaze at night, but she didn't mind. Right now, though, that was the furthest thing from her mind.

She was going to turn eighteen in December and with that came access to the trust fund that her parents had set up for her when she was six. They'd put aside 500,000 for her so she would have it in case she wanted to go to college or something, though she knew that wouldn't be happening. Her job and passion lay in being a Ranger, helping people and protecting Pokemon with all her heart.

But now, she was poised to get over a million dollars on the nineteenth of December. She already had at least 50,000 in her account due to rarely spending anything. The fact that Oblivia had no currency system had only added more fuel to the growing savings account. She was already rich as far as the Ranger regions were concerned due to their low cost of living, but what she was going to get through the trust fund and inheritance was ridiculous.

After she turned nineteen, she was going to get a little over 83,000 for six years, resulting in a total of five million dollars. Added up, she was going to have over six million dollars in the span of seven years. What in Arceus' name was she going to do with that much money? She was just a simple Ranger; she didn't need all that money. She'd probably turn down any further paychecks after she turned eighteen. Really, she was set for life with just the trust fund if she stayed in Almia. She could probably retire if she wanted to, but she knew she wouldn't be happy with that. She'd continue her work on payroll or not.

Well, maybe she could start with those piano lessons she'd wanted for all of these years…


	6. Alone

I know this ends kind of abruptly, but it was about 130 in the morning when I wrote this.

* * *

Kate sighed as she sat on Nabiki Beach. The full moon hung in the sky, gentle rays dancing on the dark ocean surface. Mother's Day was approaching again and she was really feeling it this year. She'd spent last two years with Summer and Solana, but she'd be alone this time. Summer had her own things to worry about right now, and Solana had commented that she'd prefer to spend it sewing. The weight of reality was finally beginning to set in on the normally optimistic Ranger. Her smile had vanished the past several days due to the approaching holiday.

She'd been able to smile because she'd been with her friends. She'd laughed as they played and had a lighthearted time. But not this year. How was she going to cope with it? Her Nana was gone. She missed the gentle smile that Ellen always gave her and had passed onto her. Even though things had been rough for them due to financial limitations, they'd made the best of things.

Their smiles had always made things better. Even in Almia's darkest hour, she'd managed to smile and never give up hope. It had been tough as team Dim Sun had snatched the light of hope from the region's inhabitants and Kate had been struggling due to Ellen's death happening during that same span of time. But she had never stopped smiling. Not once in over two years.

But now? She wanted to cry. She hadn't even cried at the funeral. She hadn't cried since she'd been a child over trivial things like scraped knees. She'd become a beacon of light that people could depend on. But not right now. She felt the warm tears run down her cheeks and she closed her eyes, letting the tears flow silently.

For the first time she could remember, she felt alone. There was nobody around to hug her and tell her everything would be all right. Nobody would kiss her head and tell them she loved her.


	7. Lost Spark

Okay, quick note.

Yes, I headcanon that Summer is younger than Kate and Solana.

Yes, I know Kate/Kellyn are supposed to be the youngest Top Rangers.

Yes, I care that this headcanon overrides canon, but it's just how my universe worked out.

No, I cannot change the ages to fit canon.

* * *

Wendy stretched and smiled as she sat down at her desk, flicking on the light so that it was the only source in the dim room. It had been a long day for the Ranger as Hastings had forced her to more or less run laps across the entire Almia region, but it'd been worth it since it had helped his research quite a bit. The Shadow Crystal-now the Luminous Crystal-was no longer a threat as it'd been about three years since Dim Sun had held any power, but he was still researching the little shards that they had collected. There were still many secrets to unlock behind the crystal and its ties with Almia's past, but Wendy let the thoughts slide from her mind as her gaze shifted to a familiar picture.

The smile turned into a frown as she picked it up and sighed, running her fingers over the joyful smile that was on Summer's face. The photo had been taken three years ago, just shortly after the young girl had become a Top Ranger. It was hard to believe so much time had passed since those days when Summer used to smile so brightly and joke around with all of the other Top Rangers, pulling harmless pranks on each other. In fact, Wendy's hair was still vibrant pink from the time Summer had put a little too much dye in her shampoo. The memory made Wendy's lips twitch a bit, but it faded when her mind drifted to the most recent she'd had with her friend.

Summer had changed. The events surrounding the Societea and the Pinchers had seen to that. Summer had always been serious and dedicated to her job as a Ranger, but it was like something had snapped. Wendy remembered the determined look in Summer's eyes when she'd set off for the small region, that ever-present spark still alight as she eagerly awaited her next mission.

But something had changed when she'd come back. That spark had gone. The joy she'd felt from being a Ranger had faded. She knew Summer still loved her job but...she was just...different. She had become silent and shut herself off from others even more than she had previously which was saying a lot. Even to the other Top Rangers-Wendy included. The only one she remained close to was Solana, but she still didn't completely understand why.

The look on Summer's face when she'd gotten off that Latias would haunt Wendy forever. She had greeted her friend with smiles and hugs, but Summer hadn't reciprocated. Instead, the younger girl had just moved as if she were carrying a hundred pounds on each leg. Her shoulders had been hunched as she'd carried the Pichu that had become her partner. Her once joyful brown eyes had been completely blank as if the weight of the world were on her shoulders.

After learning what had happened, it was no wonder. Having to fly through a storm created by a Zapdos...going through an active volcano...facing down angry Raikou and Entei...then seeing Dolce Island destroyed with a lot of Pokemon... It'd forced Summer to confront her greatest, mot deep-seated fears. Fire, thunderstorms and, most of all, mortality.

Summer had regained some of her spark in the past two years as Wendy had seen from their short meetings, but it never fully returned. Even while Summer were at the Union for a week, sometimes two, she would never join in the pranks that the Rangers-especially the Top ones-pulled on each other.

And the same thing had happened recently. Again, something in Summer had changed. The girl never stuck around the Union long over the past couple months. Really, it was just for an hour, maybe two. Summer looked absolutely paranoid whenever she came around, almost as if she were afraid of losing something or someone. But she was resistant and avoidant to any questions Wendy asked. She had approached Chairperson Erma, but even the old woman refused to divulge what had happened. It was the same with Solana...

With a sigh, Wendy put the picture down and grabbed a spare set of pajamas, showering before she headed to bed, worry creasing her face even as she slept.


End file.
